Date
of Stay: June 15-17, 2015
RATING
(Scale of 1 to 10)
Location:
********
Rooms:
*********
Condition
and Cleanliness: ********
Staff
Performance: *********
Room
Comfort: *********
Food
and Beverage: ********
Other
Amenities: ********
Value
for Money: *********
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| Asia Grand View Hotel |
The Asia Grand View Hotel, in
operation since August 26, 2011, has 20 distinct, comfortable, clean and
elegant rooms inspired by the contemporary Asian arts and Palawan crafts – the
35 sq. m. Superior Room (Bay View, 2 rooms), the 46 sq. m. Superior Room
(Garden View, 6 rooms) and 46 sq. m. De Luxe Room (12 rooms). Price range
(per night): PhP6,600-7,700. |
| De Luxe Garden and Swimming Pool View Room |
All rooms have
airconditioning; fan; comfortable, firm beds; quality linen; nice flat screen
cable TV; DVD player; intercom; mini-bar; in-room safe; walk in closet; balcony
and free internet access (wi-fi).
The private bathrooms are roomy, with centralized water heater and wooden sliding door, and are divided into 3 sections - shower, water closet/lavatory and the dresser.
De Luxe rooms, with their luxuriously homely feel, have 2 beds and a hammock on
the balcony. The second floor rooms have wooden floors while the ground floor
has tiled floors and higher ceiling. The use of wood in the decor was a great
touch.
 |
| Bay View Bar & Restaurant |
The Bayview Bar &
Restaurant, its family-friendly food and beverage outlet, is especially enchanting
during cocktail hours when guests can gather to watch the breathtaking sunset,
one of the most spectacular one could ever see.
This restaurant, at the highest point of the property, has a view deck/terrace
with an excellent, picturesque view of the town and Coron Bay (here, you’ll
know why the hotel is called "Asia Grand View").
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| Jimi and Maria Ormita |
Its atmosphere is good, with
a cool sea breeze and lovely ambiance. The wine selection is very good.
You can also enjoy stargazing while being serenaded by the cicadas from the nearby hill.
Every night, the warm and amiable Jimi and Maria Ormita, a lovely couple with great humor, performs acoustic entertainment and will serenade you while you are dining. It is probably the coolest place in Coron town.
The restaurant has an
extensive and diverse menu, planned by consultant chefs in Australia and
Germany that includes fresh and tasty Filipino and Western meals.
It offers good choices for breakfast (bacon, meat, cheese, salad, cereals,
etc.) including a omelet bar. As a guests’ option, romantic, candle-lit dinners
are also offered, either at pool side or the rooftop balcony.
Weddings
and special events, with remarkable, simple yet stylish set ups and full
attentive services, may be held at the restaurant, function rooms, by the pool
side or by the garden.
The two-tiered (you can jump
down, over a waterfall, from upper level to the dive pool), beautiful, clean,
chemical free salt water infinity pool, the centerpiece of the grounds, is
inviting, crystal clear, quiet and the water is not so cold.
Open from 7 AM to 11 PM, its cleanliness is maintained on a daily basis and has
a depth of from 2 to 6 ft.
The hotel is located on a
hill so there are quite a number of steps to go to and from the rooms (which
are scattered at different levels) to the restaurant.
The walk up and down may be tiring but it is not an unpleasant walk. In
fact, it adds to the charm of the place as the path goes through the lush,
colorful and well kept gardens, lovely cashew trees, bougainvilleas,
gumamelas and passes by the infinity pool. The steps leading down to
the rooms and the pool are well made and actually wide enough.
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| Lake Kayangan |
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| Dive & Activity Center |
 |
| Tangat Wreck |
The front desk arranges any
tours that you would like such as island hopping and trips to Calauit Safari
Park, Kayangan Lake, Mt. Tapyas, etc.
Its Coron Reef Dive Shop, opened last June 1, 2015, has professional dive team of PADI and SDI-accredited dive instructors and dive masters headed by Swiss national Mr. Martin Huber.
 |
| Diver at Olympia Maru |
They offer world-class,
reef and coral diving at 11 World War II shipwrecks, Barracuda Lake, the marine
park, Siete Pecados, etc. and dive safaris around Busuanga & Apo
Reef.
One of the resort’s pools is specially designed for dive training. They also offer
technical diving and dive courses up to instructor level. Coron is also known
for the rare dugongs.
 |
| Function room |
 |
| Billiards |
The hotel offers affordable
massages in your room or in their outdoor massage tent within the
premises.
They also have very affordable tour packages for going around the island. For fitness buffs, you can do a 4.5-km. walk around the Governor Drive-National Highway loop (you can ask for directions from the staff or look it up in map).
The hotel also has a nicely appointed lobby area, billiards, indoor games, a
karaoke area, business center with internet access and offers shuttle bus
service, room service, free parking and airport transportation. During
brown outs, the hotel has its own generator.
 |
| The hotel staff |
Their impeccable hotel
service is top notch. The warm and friendly staff of Asia Grand View, another
strong point of this hotel, was very helpful, with always a smile on their
handsome and pretty faces.
They seem to genuinely enjoy interacting with the guests and making them feel
at home. When you board the pick up van for your trip back to Busuanga Airport
(only 35 mins. away), the hotel staff, Jimi and Maria will all gather at the
entrance and serenade you with a farewell song as they bid you a safe trip
home.
 |
| The view deck |
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| Ashy Drongo |
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| Spot-throated woodpecker |
This environmentally-friendly
hotel supports efforts to conserve natural resources.
It is actually surrounded by a bird sanctuary (you can see up to 27 species of birds here) which was completely preserved during its construction.
They also plant their own produce and guests can pick their own fruit off the trees.
The location of the hotel is
very nice - not along the National Highway and far away enough from Coron town
to be really quiet but near enough to be able to run into town (just 1 km.
away), on a local tricycle (PhP15 fare), for some souvenir shopping, and the
pier (the gateway to the charming underwater world of Palawan). They even have
accredited tricycle drivers who can be hired to take guests around town.
This chic, idyllic property, truly a perfect place for travelers who want a
combination of ambiance and comfort, is a little gem and hidden getaway which
is full of surprises and exceeded all our expectations. One ideal venue I would
not hesitate to return to for unparalleled relaxation, elegance and comfort
combined with personalized Asian hospitality.
Asia Grand View Hotel: Governor's
Ave., Jolo, Brgy. 5, Coron, Palawan. Tel:(+632) 788-3385. Mobile number:
(0999) 881-7848. E-mail: gsd@asiagrandview.com. Manila sales office: Unit
504, Richmonde Plaza, 21 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Tel: (+632) 695-3078 and 531-8380. Mobile number: (0917) 550-7373 to 75
Fax: (+632) 695-3078. E-mail: info@asiagrandview.com. Website: www.asiagrandview.com.
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